Page 19 of Punishing His Runaway Bride
I'd looked it up. Six weeks. The size of a raspberry now. The small kind, red, fuzzy. Tiny, but growing.
Rent was due next week. Castro's debt was still accumulating interest. I was working three jobs, sleeping less than four hours total—I'd done the math, every penny accounted for.
And I still threw the pills away.
Maybe I was losing it. But I couldn't let go.
The bell rang. Ella pushed through the door.
She was a friend from the coffee shop days, two years older than me, with red curly hair, always smiling. She set down two hot chocolates and left one in front of me.
"You look like hell," she said, settling onto the stool by the register. "Like you haven't slept in three days."
"Close enough," I said, reaching for the chocolate. I took a whiff, and my stomach flipped—too sweet, too thick.
"You good?" Ella was studying me, worry creeping into her eyes. "I mean, really good?"
"Yeah," I forced a smile. "Better than last week, anyway."
"Last week you threw up your own bile," she paused, lowered her voice. "You decided? About the pills?"
"Decided," I said. "Not taking them."
Ella froze. "Not taking them. So you're saying..."
"I'm having it," I said.
She stared at me. Three seconds of silence, then her eyes went red.
I shoved the napkin dispenser at her. "Hey, don't. If anyone's crying here, it should be me."
"I'm crying FOR you!" She wiped her face. "And you're just sitting there dry-eyed!"
"I still have morning sickness," I said, sighing. "One good cry and I'm puking my guts up. Not worth it."
Ella grabbed a napkin. "You're sure? You're working three jobs, you've got that debt hanging over—"
"I know, I know," I waved her off. "Broke, exhausted, Sophie still needs raising, the kid's father's a bastard. I've got the list. I've thought through all of it."
"Then why—"
"Because I threw the pills away," I shrugged. "They're gone. That's it."
Ella stared at me hard. "That's... that's it?"
"That's it," I said, resting my chin on my hand. "And I looked it up today. He's the size of a raspberry right now."
"Huh?"
"The small kind, the red kind," I showed her the size with my fingers. "Pretty cute, actually."
Ella was quiet for three seconds. Then she started crying harder, pulled me straight into her arms. "Why do you have to say stuff like that? It kills me!"
I let her hold me and patted her back.
"What about the guy?" Ella pulled back, eyes wet. "You gonna tell him?"
"No."
